| Lip colour affects perceived sex typicality and attractiveness of human faces. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20942361 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The luminance contrast between facial features and facial skin is greater in women than in men, and women's use of make-up enhances this contrast. In black-and-white photographs, increased luminance contrast enhances femininity and attractiveness in women's faces, but reduces masculinity and attractiveness in men's faces. In Caucasians, much of the contrast between the lips and facial skin is in redness. Red lips have been considered attractive in women in geographically and temporally diverse cultures, possibly because they mimic vasodilation associated with sexual arousal. Here, we investigate the effects of lip luminance and colour contrast on the attractiveness and sex typicality (masculinity/femininity) of human faces. In a Caucasian sample, we allowed participants to manipulate the colour of the lips in colour-calibrated face photographs along CIELab L* (light--dark), a* (red--green), and b* (yellow--blue) axes to enhance apparent attractiveness and sex typicality. Participants increased redness contrast to enhance femininity and attractiveness of female faces, but reduced redness contrast to enhance masculinity of men's faces. Lip blueness was reduced more in female than male faces. Increased lightness contrast enhanced the attractiveness of both sexes, and had little effect on perceptions of sex typicality. The association between lip colour contrast and attractiveness in women's faces may be attributable to its association with oxygenated blood perfusion indicating oestrogen levels, sexual arousal, and cardiac and respiratory health. |
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Authors:
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Ian D Stephen; Angela M McKeegan |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Perception Volume: 39 ISSN: 0301-0066 ISO Abbreviation: Perception Publication Date: 2010 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-10-14 Completed Date: 2010-12-16 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0372307 Medline TA: Perception Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 1104-10 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12A Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK. ian@perceptionlab.com |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adolescent Beauty* Choice Behavior / physiology* Color* Cosmetics Cues European Continental Ancestry Group Face / anatomy & histology* Facial Expression Female Humans Lip Male Sex Characteristics Sex Factors Sexual Behavior / psychology* Young Adult |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Cosmetics |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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